The present invention relates to a yaw-rate sensor mounted to a vehicle. It finds particular application in conjunction with a component orientation element used to avoid improper installation of the sensor on the vehicle and to attenuate vibration transmitted from the vehicle to the sensor and will be described with particular reference thereto. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention is also amenable to other applications.
Installing components to a vehicle requires time and attention for ensuring the component is installed correctly. For example, a yaw-rate sensor must be installed in a correct orientation for the sensor to operate properly. Although two-bolt mounting configurations typically reduce the amount of time, thought, and materials required to install a component to a vehicle, it also may increase the possibility that the component is erroneously installed. More specifically, two-bolt mounting configurations permit four-degrees of freedom (i.e., four (4) mounting configurations), including three (3) incorrect configurations (e.g., upside-down, backwards, and a combination of both). In the case of a yaw-rate sensor, a vehicle's electronic control unit (ECU) associated with an electronic stability program (ESP) often times cannot readily confirm if the sensor is mounted in the correct orientation before a vehicle leaves a manufacturer's plant.
One way component manufacturers have addressed the issue described above has been to design a three-bolt mounting configuration. Three-bolt mounting configuration designs may be used to reduce the number of degrees of freedom for mounting a component to a vehicle if, for example, the third bolt is asymmetrically spaced from the other two (2) bolts. However, such designs require additional hardware. Furthermore, since standard mounting brackets on vehicles typically include evenly spaced holes that must be aligned with the bolts on the component, three-bolt designs may result in increased complexity due to the asymmetric spacing between the bolts. More specifically, care must be taken to ensure the asymmetrically spaced three-bolts will correctly align with the evenly spaced holes on standard mounting brackets.
It is also desirable to damp vibrations received by the component from the vehicle.
The present invention provides a new and improved apparatus and method which addresses the above-referenced problems.